We will discuss why Jungle is considered the most difficult role in League of Legends and why it has such a steep learning curve. We'll cover which factors contribute to the overall difficulty and how players struggle to master it, and discuss macro responsibility, information gathering, champion flexibility, decision making, and pathing.
A Jungler is responsible for controlling objectives, applying pressure to the laners, and pathing efficiently. As someone who’s been playing Jungle for almost 10 years, I’m still learning new elements of the role and perfecting my skills. The role oftentimes scares away new players because of the vast amount of game knowledge and macro ability required to succeed. I’ll be explaining why Jungle is such a complex, yet rewarding role to play, and teach players how to make better in-game decisions.
The difficulty of a role is based upon several different factors including mechanical ability, macro/map awareness, game knowledge, and adaptability. Jungle ranks #1 in three of the four categories being used for evaluation. Mechanical ability involves the amount of skill needed to perform on champions associated with each role. Jungle ranks lower than other roles in this category because the majority of the game is spent in PvE and doesn’t require elite mechanics such as AD Carry or Mid Lane. Things such as spacing, minion wave control, and clicks per minute have less effect in the Jungle compared to other roles.
However, map awareness, game knowledge, and adaptability for Jungling is above every other role. Junglers need to be aware of the entire map, which lanes are ahead, what objectives are up, etc. They also must understand how to pressure lanes, take vision control, track the enemy Jungler, and path effectively. They must also adapt to each game state and change the way they play based on the game's circumstances. For these reasons, Jungle is considered a difficult role among the community and takes years of experience to perfect.
Junglers are responsible for controlling the map and influencing lanes and objectives. They have the potential to pressure every lane through ganks while also playing for objectives. Junglers have more responsibility than any other role as they must constantly read the map, understand timers, and play with tempo. They are often blamed by their teammates for things that go wrong on the map because they’re expected to be everywhere at once and fix all the mistakes. Junglers are expected to take Dragons, Rift Herald, Baron, Atakhan, and are put in difficult situations where they have to smite an objective to win a game.
In addition to playing towards lanes and controlling objectives, Jungles must also track what the enemy Jungler is doing. It’s important to secure early game vision and know the other Jungler’s location to make cross plays or try to counter-gank. However, there are times when the enemy Jungler will be out of vision and it’s up to the Jungler to predict their plays and make the correct read. This differs from other roles where laners are usually aware of their opponent’s location as they will stick to the same lane for majority of the early game.
The Jungle champion pool is the most diverse out of any other role and is also constantly changing from patch-to-patch, It includes skirmishers, tanks, mages, marksmen, and assassins. Junglers are expected to adapt to their team's needs and play multiple different styles. The Jungle role has the most champions as well, forcing players to understand a wider range of matchups, clears, and playstyles compared to any other position. Riot also introduces new champions to the Jungle every few patches or so, forcing players to learn a completely new character that is now meta.
Junglers are constantly having to make choices of whether to gank, farm, invade, take an objective, etc. They make split second decisions that affect themselves and their teammates. Each decision has a consequence or reward and it’s up to the player to make the correct one. One poor choice can set the game back for everyone such as choosing to farm over taking a crucial objective or ganking when teammates are trying to reset. Junglers are making these decisions under a high level of stress while also trying to manage their own resources.
Unlike laners who have a relatively fixed pattern of pushing, freezing, and recalling, Jungling requires the player to adapt based on matchups, objective timers, lane states, and vision. A player must understand what side of the map to start on, what type of clear to perform, and what their opponent might do as well. A small pathing mistake such as clearing too slowly, skipping a camp, or not syncing up with objective timers can snowball the entire map. Every second of Jungling matters in terms of optimization and making a split-second decision. Additionally, making the wrong decision can set you back on tempo and lead to a cascade of disadvantages for the entire team. Because of the constant pressure to adapt based on multiple factors combined with having to keep track of the enemy Jungler, the role takes a serious amount of time and dedication.
Junglers have the most responsibility when it comes to objective control, enabling teammates, and carrying the early game. Although there is a steep learning curve to playing Jungle, the role is also extremely rewarding to those who master it. Having the power to influence a game in multiple ways is valuable when trying to climb the League ranks. However, Junglers are also the victims of most of the blame that comes with having a huge amount of authority over a game. It’s the perfect role for players who want to put in the time and effort to understand the macro of League and learn a position that is unlike any other in the game.
